Guests: Joan Horvath, Rich Cameron; Topics: Consumer 3D printing, 3D printing for space and much more regarding 3D printing. Please direct all comments and questions regarding specific Space Show programs & guest(s) to the Space Show blog which is part of archived program on our website, www.thespaceshow.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm.
We welcomed both Joan Horvath and Rich Cameron back on the show to discuss 3D printing for consumers and much more. Their company is Nonscriptum LLC. Please visit their website for their classes, more information on the subjects we discussed and for quality 3D printing information: www.nonscriptum.com. Note that the books our guests have written on the subject are available on their website as well as Amazon. Don't overlook them as they can be very helpful and useful for your business and family. Remember, if you use Amazon, use the OGLF portal (see Amazon on our home page).
During the first segment of our 1 hour 37 minute program, our guests introduced us to their books and to consumer 3D printing with printers ranging between $1-3,000. We talked about the printing material, the filament, including ABS, PLA plus other materials for bigger machines including powder, metal, and liquid resin. Note that one additional theme for today's program focused on design and mockup printing uses.
Listeners sent our guests several emails wanting to know more about space applications and 3D printing, especially those applicable for startups and entrepreneurial activities. Space usage and applicability questions continued throughout our discussion. Our guests were asked about the printer file format which was said to be STL In addition, our guests said that one of the most common and popular uses for 3D printing was for mockups, another topic that was discussed in both segments of our program.
3D printing education for schools as well as users and business was discussed in detail. Our guests talked about their books on the topic plus their online classes. Check their classes out on their website. We also talked about education for students, age requirements for younger students using 3D printers and in some circumstances, parental consent One website suggested for K-12 students was www.tinkercad.com which is a simple, online 3D design printing app that you should check out.
The speed of 3D printing was discussed. As you will hear, printers are slow and that can be a challenge for some projects. Don't miss what our guests said about printing speed and various printers. Before the segment ended, our guests were asked about printer risks and dangers for kids and students. At one point they were compared to a soldering iron but listen to all of what our guests said on this subject.
In the second segment, the use of 3D printing came up for applications in space settlement. Our guests talked about printing volcanic regolith for experiments and simulations plus a type of concrete. INSITU uses were also discussed.
Much of the second segment dealt with the future for 3D printing, especially for space. Two areas of interested were noted. One was for on orbit having the ability to make spares that might be needed, saving the need for inventory and mass. Other uses were for possible specific identified parts that might be needed but not stored on board the spaceship. Joan and Rich were asked about printing critical parts. While most critical parts would be printed by larger machines, depending on the use of the part and the material needed, it was certainly possible to use a small printer for a specific critical part.
Dr. Doug sent in an entire series of questions for the balance of the second segment. One question asked about small, critical metal parts. Another question focused on lunar and Martian habitat printing while another asked about abrasive materials and printing. Doug's last question asked about ISRU, wondering if 3D printers would replace other machines such as lathes, presses, and rollers making sheets. Additionally, Tim send in two questions before the show ended. One question asked about raw material usage for printers, then his second and final question asked about von Neumann probes. Finally, don't miss the closing comments by our guests, especially the part about corrections in play for over hyping the 3D printing potential.
Please post your comments/questions on TSS blog. You can reach our guests through their website per above or me.
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